Mia Kuiper*

[Kitten*]

Name: Mia Kuiper
Gender: Female
Age: 17
School: Colehurst Secondary School
Hobbies and Interests: Shakespeare, Drama, Archery, Fencing,

Appearance: At 5'10" and around 144lb; Mia is tall with a light frame. The daughter of a successful Danish businessman and a second-generation Austrian-American, she is obviously of Northern European ancestry, her heritage showing itself in an oval face with deep-set grey-green eyes; neat, arched eyebrows and an unobtrusive nose. Her chocolate-brown hair reaches past her shoulders, though she ties it in a bun with a piece of ribbon whenever she's doing anything even slightly physical.

Mia’s accent is quite European, sounding more like that of an Englishwoman than an American, though it also has a certain Germanic twang, inherited from her father. She is well spoken and neither uses nor pays much attention to most of the slang other people her age tend to use.

Nearly always appearing calm, most movements Mia makes are with a practised steadiness and grace. Her personal fashion tends towards long, pleated skirts and white blouses. She often wears black, old-fashioned buckled shoes with long white socks, accessorizing with a small, filigree silver cross on a chain around her neck.

Biography: Something of a latchkey child, Mia’s home life is characterized by fleeting interactions with hardworking, distracted parents. Her mother shared the responsibility for Mia’s upbringing with a nanny for the first few years of her life, and she was sent to preschool as soon as possible. Though her parents loved her and wanted her to do well, they were both preoccupied with work and didn't have the time to be hands-on.

This lack of attention became a major issue for Mia going into primary school, where she would struggle to get awards for the acknowledgment she could get from her parents. Unfortunately for her, in her first year her mother fell pregnant again, eventually giving birth to Emily, Mia's new little sister. While she resented her sister at first, both before and after she was born,  Mia soon came to feel sorry for her, as after a few months the “new baby” novelty wore off, and Emily began to receive the same level of care and attention that Mia had at her age. As the two grew older, Mia started to relish the affection her little sister gave her, affection that she had always wanted and never really received from her parents, and she found herself caring deeply for Emily.

Mia made sure to look out for her younger sibling, growing up, taking pains to provide Emily with everything that she herself had felt the absence of; making her lunch, helping her get to school, giving her a hand with her homework and just generally being there for the girl in the way that their parents never were.When Mia discovered Emily was being bullied at school, she stepped in and went out of her way to harass and humiliate the culprits. Being mean to those beneath her gave Mia an outlet for her frustration with her parents, and while Emily's problems soon stopped, Mia's didn't. This behaviour continued throughout her final year of primary school, but she avoided detection and punishment by continuing to act nicely towards the teachers; being quiet and polite in the classroom, if not outside of it; and keeping her grades at a consistently high level.

It was also during her primary schooling that she got involved in the performances the school held, such as the yearly musical and any children's plays they put on. This interest blossomed as a means to gain her parent's attention, but Mia soon found that she enjoyed being on stage with an audience, and acting came to her naturally.

Going in to Middle school was initially difficult for Mia, being away from her sister and the few friends she had, who’d all gone to different schools, but she managed. Looking to make new friends, she sought to fill her now-free time with school, taking to her studies with enthusiasm. She excelled at these, being an insightful and intelligent girl, and this did wonders for her self confidence, with Mia blooming into a calm, self-assured young woman. The lack of anyone younger than her also served to end her brief foray into bullying, as without any easy targets for her cruelty, her anti-social behavior quickly waned.

Mia had always done well in well in English, but going into high school she began to take a real interest in it. The catalyst to this change was her introduction to Shakespeare, whose plays resonated with her love for the dramatic. These in turn left her with an interest in all things 17th Century, so when sport selection came up she jumped at the chance to take fencing. It was through one of her fencing team members that she discovered the local archery club, which she also joined. While never having been particularly athletic, Mia enjoyed the health benefits of a youthful metabolism and a good diet, and she took to both of these pursuits with ease, enjoying the competitiveness, the physicality and the sense of connection to her literary hero. Mia augmented this connection by investing some of her parents money in a book of Shakespeare’s complete works, which she carries with her at all times. Adoring the charm and elegance of his characters, Mia tries to comport herself in similar fashion, speaking with careful diction and maintaining, or trying to maintain, an air of elegance at all times.

Within the rest of her academic pursuits, Mia further continued to shine, taking up German, in an attempt to relate to her heritage. She also enrolled herself in the drama club, where she found that years of hiding disappointment at missed recitals and broken promises from her parents had given her something of a gift for acting. It was a gift that did not go unnoticed, and she was awarded supervisory positions within a number of school shows, positions of authority which unfortunately lead to the re-emergence of her former bullying tendencies. Observant and self-aware, Mia quickly became wise to her own behavior, trying her best to control herself and not to victimize people. Nevertheless, her cruel streak did not go unnoticed by students, and while Mia made a number of good friends within drama, many other students were put off by her behaviour, her distance, and her mannerisms, which they saw as forced and contrived.

Advantages: Mia has a vicious side to her, and willing and capable of tormenting anyone who annoys her. As a talented actor, she has a flair for deception, and familiarity with intricate Shakespearean plots has given her experience at understanding even the most complicated situations. Her composure may draw other students to her in a crisis, and if she manages to get her hands on either a bow, or a post-renaissance sword, Mia is potentially deadly with both.
Disadvantages: Some students may already know Mia’s nasty streak and dislike her for it, making it hard for her to join certain groups. Her cruelty has something of a compulsive aspect to it, too, and she may find herself picking on someone whom he shouldn’t. Mia’s antiquated bearing may also make her difficult for her fellow students to relate her, which could be problematic if trying to make deals or alliances.

Original Profile